The Nominations Committee, chaired by Dr. Madhav Swaminathan, has nominated the following candidates for Officers and Directors of the American Society of Echocardiography.
Current members of ASE, please vote for the officers and directors using this ballot. You may write in nominees in the blank spaces instead of the person nominated. You may only vote for one person for each position. The new officers and directors will be introduced at the ASE Presidential Address, Awards and State of the ASE Plenary Session on Saturday, June 11, 2022. Your ballot must be received by March 18, 2022. Please review the slate below and cast your vote. Thank you.
Officer Nominated to Presidential Ladder (One-Year Term – Expires June 2023)
Vice-President
Theodore Abraham, MD, FASE
University of California at San Francisco (UCSF)
San Francisco CA
Dr. Abraham is the Meyer Friedman Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Clinical Chief of Cardiology at UCSF where he also directs the Echocardiography Program.
Dr. Abraham’s research has focused on cardiac mechanics and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) using strain echocardiography, machine learning and computational flow modeling at the translational and clinical levels. This multi-disciplinary effort involves close collaborations with Anesthesiology, Pediatrics, Cardiac Surgery, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering, and resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications and contiguous NIH, society and industry funding as principal or co-investigator for over 20 years. The overall program goal is to use higher dimensional phenotyping to enhance early diagnostics, improve disease monitoring and enable reliable prognostics through better understanding of cardiovascular mechanics and hemodynamics in HCM. His research program is a leading site for clinical trials of emerging drug therapies for HCM. He also founded the Johns Hopkins School of Cardiac Sonography.
Dr. Abraham has been active at ASE for over 20 years and served on the Board of Directors, and Research, Education and Industry Relations committees. He chaired/co-chaired the Membership, Bylaws/Ethics and 2020 Scientific Sessions committees. He presented the ASE Feigenbaum Lecture in 2017 and received the Richard Popp Excellence in Teaching Award in 2018. He chairs the ASE AI in Echo Task Force. He is a member of the Writing Committee of the National Board of Echocardiography.
He received his medical degree from Goa Medical College (Bombay University) and completed internal medicine residency at Wake Forest, cardiology fellowship at University of Texas Southwestern and advanced echo fellowship as a Mayo Scholar at Mayo Clinic Rochester. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Echocardiography. He is ABIM board certified in cardiovascular disease and a diplomate of National Board of Echocardiography.
Officer Nominated for Secretary (Two-Year Term – Expires June 2024)
Kelly Thorson, DHSc, MSRS, ACS, RDCS, FASE
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Palo Alto, CA
Dr. Thorson is the Manager of Echocardiography Services at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. He is also a lecturer at Stanford University Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Cardiology Division. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford is a center of excellence in congenital heart disease diagnosis and repair and acts as a regional tertiary center and a national/international quaternary referral center for the treatment of congenital heart disease.
Dr. Thorson’s recent research activities focus on fetal echocardiography and novel measures for quantifying lung volumes as predictors of outcomes in fetuses with congenital heart disease. Other research interests include the diagnostic utility of advanced cardiac imaging including, cardiac CT, cardiac MR, and echocardiography in congenital heart disease and myocardial mechanics. Research in the role of education in myocardial deformation and practical applications of this in echocardiography departments. He is also interested in 3D echocardiography and quantification of ventricular size and function in addition to the anatomic evaluation in fetal and congenital heart disease. Other interests include the practical application of education theory in the mentoring and education of echocardiography learners.
Dr. Thorson has volunteered with the ARDMS and the ASE for over a decade. Most recently, he has served as Chair of the ARDMS Fetal Echocardiography Exam and Co-Chair of the ASE Education Committee.
He received a bachelor’s degree in Diagnostic Cardiac Ultrasound and a master’s degree in Radiologic Science from Weber State University. He completed a Doctorate in Health Science from A.T. Still University. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography. He is registered as an Advanced Cardiac Sonographer with Cardiovascular Credentialing International. He is also credentialed as a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer in adult, pediatric, and fetal echocardiography with the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
Officer Nominated for Council Representative (Two-Year Term – Expires June 2024)
Keith Collins, MS, RDCS, FASE
Northwestern Medicine
Chicago, IL
Mr. Collins is currently Lead Cardiac Sonographer, overseeing New Technology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago. His focus is on the training, implementation and continuing education of techniques such as 3D, strain and contrast imaging. Mr. Collins is currently serving his second term on the ASE Board of Directors, first as Member-at-Large and now as Sonography Council Steering Committee Chair.
Mr. Collins’ entry in ultrasound is unique, in that he studied neuroscience, received a graduate degree in Pharmacology and worked in drug discovery. Mr. Collins then joined Dr. Lang’s echo research lab at the University of Chicago. After scanning mice, rats and pigs, he moved on to humans as a clinical sonographer, with a passion for 3D, contrast and research. After nearly 20 years, he moved to Milwaukee and as Advanced Imaging Educator, helped develop the structural heart program at Froedtert. Now at Northwestern, he joined a team of ASE standouts and past presidents. He enjoys staff development and education with his sonographer colleagues.
Mr. Collins has been very active in ASE. At many State-of-the-Art conferences and ASE Scientific Sessions, he helped develop computer-based learning labs. After serving on multiple committees and task forces, he was the Sonographer Co-Chair of the 2020 Scientific Sessions. With the ASE Foundation, he has been part of global outreach events in China and Vietnam. As the current Chair of ASE Sonographer Council Steering Committee, he has collaborated with various Councils for common ASE goals. As Council Representative, he will facilitate communication between Councils and act as liaison to the ASE Executive Committee.
Directors Nominated (Two-Year Term – Expires June 2024)
Jose Banchs, MD, FASE, FACC
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Aurora, CO
Dr. Banchs, is currently the Director of Echocardiography and serves as the section Chief of Cardiovascular Imaging for the Division of Cardiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Banchs oversees a large volume clinical echocardiography laboratory where advanced ultrasound imaging with three dimensional echocardiography, contrast echocardiography and mechanics imaging with speckle tracking is part of the routine workflow.
Dr. Banchs current research activities have focused on use of echocardiography for the advanced cardiac chamber functional quantification and correlation to physiologic measures during stress.
Dr. Banchs has devoted a significant amount of time to the ASE for almost two decades. He has served as Chair of the ASE Foundation (ASEF) Annual Appeal Committee and has worked on multiple committees and writing groups over the years. His work for the foundation has included educational and charity imaging work in the villages of central and north Vietnam, central China and Cuba.
He received his cardiology training at Washington University in St. Louis and did further imaging training and research fellowship there under the mentorship of Dr. Julio Perez. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Echocardiography. He is board certified in cardiovascular disease from ABIM, and a diplomate of NBE in transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography.
Akhil Narang, MD, FASE
Northwestern Medicine
Chicago, IL
Dr. Akhil Narang is the Associate Director of the Echocardiography Laboratory and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern University in Chicago. His clinical focus is on valvular and structural heart disease. Dr. Narang is a key member of Northwestern’s structural heart program and is involved in multiple clinical trials performing imaging guidance during percutaneous structural heart interventions.
Dr. Narang’s research interests are in structural heart disease, applications of artificial intelligence to echocardiography, and 3D echocardiography. He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has been invited to speak nationally on a variety of topics. Dr. Narang also serves on the editorial board for multiple journals.
Dr. Narang has been actively involved in ASE since his fellowship. He was the first trainee to serve on the Scientific Sessions planning committee, was selected to the first cohort of the ASE Leadership Academy, and has been on numerous taskforces/committees (including the Technology Incubator Taskforce, FASE Training and Certification Committee, Digital Guidelines Work Group, Governance and Compliance Taskforce, and the Membership Committee).
Dr. Narang received his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He completed his internal medicine training including a Chief Residency at the University of Chicago where he stayed on to complete his cardiology fellowship and subsequent advanced cardiovascular imaging fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Roberto M. Lang. He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and echocardiography.
Neha Ringwala Soni-Patel, MEd, RCCS, RDCS (AE/PE), FASE
Cleveland Clinic Children’s
Cleveland, OH
Ms. Soni-Patel is the Education Coordinator in the Pediatric Echocardiography Lab at Cleveland Clinic Children’s and an adjunct instructor at Cuyahoga Community College in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program.
Ms. Soni-Patel first joined ASE as a sonography student in 2009 and has been very active since her graduation 10 years ago. Her participation started with the December 2012 trip to India with ASE. Since then, she has participated in multiple task forces and committees including the Sonographer Steering Committee, Education Committee, and Diversity & Inclusion Task Force. Recently she served as Member-at-Large on the Pediatric and Congenital Heart Council and currently is on the writing team to update the Pediatric Echocardiography guidelines.
Neha’s passion lies in understanding and developing echocardiography education and sonographer career development. Her experience with training students, staff sonographers, and cardiology fellows has helped her develop an education program for all learners. Continuous improvement and lifelong learning are the cornerstone of her educational activities.
Neha graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and pursued Echocardiography after she moved to Cleveland, Ohio. She earned a Masters of Education for Health Professions Education from Cleveland State University in 2021. She is registered in Adult and Pediatric Echo with ARDMS and CCI. She earned her FASE in 2016 and was selected as an ASE volunteer of the month in January 2017.
Director Nominated for Leadership Academy Representative (One-Year Term – Expires June 2023)
Sujatha Buddhe, MD, MS, FASE
Seattle Children’s Hospital
University of Washington
Dr. Buddhe is a Pediatric Cardiologist at the Seattle Children’s Hospital. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She is the Director of Non-invasive Imaging Research and the Co-Director of Cardiac MRI at the Seattle Children’s hospital.
Dr. Buddhe’s research interests include echocardiography and cardiac MRI in pediatric and congenital heart disease. She has been an active researcher participating and leading several single and multicenter studies.
Dr. Buddhe has been an active Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography. She served on the ASE Governance and Compliance Committee and the Scientific Sessions planning committee. She is the chair of the Society of Cardiovascular MRI pediatrics education sub-committee and the Secretary of the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography. She is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Research Committee and the Western Society of Pediatric Cardiology. She is a member of the current ASE Leadership Academy cohort.
Dr. Buddhe earned her medical degree from the Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, India. She completed her pediatrics residency and chief residency at the Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, NY and pediatric cardiology fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Her advanced fellowship training in pediatric cardiac non-invasive imaging was completed at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York. She earned her Master’s degree in Clinical research and statistical analysis at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In addition to being a FASE, she is also a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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June 2022- June 2023 Board of Directors
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President (term expires June 2023)
Stephen Little, MD, FASE
Houston Methodist Hospital
Houston, TX
President-Elect (term expires June 2023)
Benjamin Eidem, MD, FASE
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN
Vice President (term expires June 2023)
Nomination Above
Treasurer (term expires June 2024)
Cynthia Taub, MD, FASE
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon, NH
Secretary (term expires June 2024)
Nomination Above
Council Representative (term expires June 2024)
Nomination Above
Immediate Past President (term expires June 2023)
Raymond Stainback, MD, FASE
Texas Heart Institute, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center
Houston, TX
Chief Executive Officer
Robin Wiegerink, MNPL
American Society of Echocardiography
Durham, NC
DIRECTORS (terms expire June 2023)
Council on Pediatric & Congenital Heart Disease Chair
Carolyn Altman, MD, FASE
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX
Council on Perioperative Echocardiography Chair
G. Burkhard Mackensen, MD, PhD, FASE
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Member at Large
Vandana Sachdev, MD, FASE
National Institute of Health
Bethesda, MD
Member at Large
Anthony Gallagher, MHA, FASE
Wellstar Kennestone Hospital
Marietta, GA
Member at Large
Leo Lopez, MD, FASE
Stanford Children’s Hospital
Palo Alto, CA
Member at Large
Susan Mayer, MD, FASE
Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute
Prairie Village, KS
International Member (term expires June 2023)
Kian-Keong (KK) Poh, MBBChir, FASE
National University Heart Centre
Singapore
Past President (term expires June 2023)
Thomas Ryan, MD, FASE
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
DIRECTORS (terms expire June 2024)
Council on Cardiovascular Sonography Chair
G. Monet Strachan, ACS, RDCS, FASE
University of California San Diego Medical Center
San Diego, CA
Council on Circulation & Vascular Ultrasound Chair
Fadi Shamoun, MD, FASE
Mayo Clinic Arizona
Scottsdale, AZ
Member at Large
Nomination Above
Member at Large
Nomination Above
Member at Large
Nomination Above
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